Nielson traversed 700 East on a regular basis in his wheelchair, pulling or pushing a small cart with his belongings in it, police said. He had been visiting a relative in the area Wednesday night.

Hansen said it appears the wheelchair was in the center lane of traffic when it was hit, though it's not clear whether Nielson was crossing the street or driving his wheelchair with traffic in the roadway.

Nielson was taken to Intermountain Medical Center, where he died.

"If you look at the damage to the wheelchair, you can only image what the injuries were to his physical body," Hansen said.

Nielson was hit by a northbound sedan-style car that showed damage on the lower region of its front bumper on the driver's side. Hansen said police are investigating why the driver, a man in his late 60s, wasn't aware he had struck the wheelchair.

"Based on the damage to that wheelchair, it had to have made a significant noise," Hansen said.

Debris from the chair and Nielson's belongings were spilled along the roadway, stretched out more than a block from the point of impact. The cart was found farther down the road.

The wheels of the chair were completely separated from the rest of the machine, resting upright in the center lane.

Police say the driver parked the car near 3100 South and 640 East. The man then walked backed to the scene of the accident and told police he believed he'd hit something in the road.

Officers were re-creating the scene Wednesday night in an attempt to determine the vehicle's speed and the direction of the wheelchair. The accident may be treated as a hit-and-run case, Hansen said.

Driver said he hit something. You know he would of noticed it would be a big
impact. Maybe he hit part of debri on the road that he was not the primary
driver who hit him. So, it could be a hit and run by another driver. Are there
sidewalks on that
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